1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a both-side recording apparatus for automatically executing a recording on both the front surface and the rear surface of a recording sheet which is a recorded medium (i.e. a medium to be recorded), and more in particular, it relates to a both-side recording apparatus comprising a sheet reversing portion for reversing the recorded medium in a printed state on one surface only, and a recording method including the both-side recording.
2. Description of the Related Art
Heretofore, as a configuration for executing an automatic both-side recording in the recording apparatus such as an inkjet recording apparatus and the like, there have been executed or proposed apparatuses of several systems. They are configured such that, after having completed a recording on the front side surface (first surface) of the recording sheet which is the recorded medium, the recording sheet is conveyed to a sheet reversing portion, and at the sheet reversing portion, the recording sheet is reversed and after that, the recording sheet is conveyed to a recording portion again, where a recording on a rear side surface (second surface) of the recording sheet is executed. From among such both-side recording apparatuses, the inventions disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,332,068 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-67407 are configured such that a clearance between the recording sheet and the recording portion is not adjustable, but fixed constant at all times. Further, there exist the recording apparatuses wherein the clearance between the recording sheet and the recording portion is adjustable, and before starting a recording operation, the clearance between the recording sheet and the recording portion has to be decided in advance.
In any of the above-described conventional examples, during the recording operation on one sheet of the recording sheet, it is not possible to change the clearance between the recording sheet and the recording portion. However, there are sometimes the cases where a state of the recording sheet is not always the same when recording on the face side surface of the recording sheet and recording on the rear side surface of the recording sheet. In such cases, when the recording apparatus is set in a state most suitable for the processing of any surface of the recording sheet (for example, a recording on the face side surface), there is a possibility that the recording apparatus is not always in a state most suitable for executing a processing of the other side surface (for example, a recording on the rear side surface). The cause of such difference in the state of the recording sheet comes from, for example, a warp inherent in the recording sheet and the warp resulting from the recording operation on the first surface of the recording sheet.
As with the above-described conventional example, when the clearance between the recording sheet and the recording portion is constant at the time of recording on the face side surface of the recording sheet and at the time of recording on the rear side surface of the recording sheet after the sheet is reversed, there is a possibility of a trouble to occur at the time of recording on any side of the surface. For example, when the clearance between the recording portion and the recording sheet is set comparatively narrow, the recording portion and the recording sheet are brought into contact due to the warp of the recording sheet, thereby causing an unintended ink adherence to the recording sheet or a possibility of an external force applied to prevent an accurate conveyance of the recording sheet. On the other hand, when the clearance between the recording portion and the recording sheet is set wider than necessary in anticipation of the warp of a sheet material in advance, there is a possibility of a recording dignity to be deteriorated, and particularly when the inkjet recording is executed, it is probable that the recording dignity is worsened.